Despite the backing of Toyota and other industry giants touting the benefits of fuel-cell vehicles — they refuel faster and are more suitable for driving long distances than all-electric vehicles — the technology hasn’t caught on due its expensive price tag.

Subscription Required

The rebound in new-vehicle sales accelerated in May, with volume rising nearly 12 percent from a year earlier, helped by heavy marketing promotions, incentives and pent-up demand. Roughly 2.14 million new vehicles were delivered across the country last month, according to estimates from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers released Tuesday.